I just ‘love’ those Internet ads for medical transcription training that say, ‘Earn up to $40,000 per year as a medical transcriptionist. Enroll Now!!’ To all medical transcription newbies: This is bunk. Disregard these ads as overblown hype.

The job outlook is very good for medical transcription and will continue to be so due to our aging population, commonly referred to as the graying of America.

With regard to starting salaries, a realistic income for a medical transcriptionist right out of school may range from $25,000 to $30,000, depending on the area of the country and other prior skills that the candidate possesses. For instance, a person who is a good word processor, has excellent command of English and grammar, has a fast and accurate typing speed, and who learns computer software programs quickly might be able to command a salary closer to $30,000 when first starting out as a medical transcriptionist.

A medical transcriptionist who has been in the field for 5-10 years and who has established him/herself will make the kind of money (and more) specified in the Internet ads, but a medical transcriptionist who is seeking an entry-level position directly from school will not. Period. End of story.

Don’t buy into that Internet hype; certainly, don’t let that hype stop you from pursuing this career if you are passionate about it and committed to it. It is a wonderful field that I dearly love and hope you will too once you become engaged in learning and mastering it.